22 dead as train derails in Taiwan

Taipei, Oct 21 : At least 22 people died and 171 other passengers were injured Sunday when a train derailed near the Taiwanese capital, the country’s emergency services said.

The high-speed Puyuma Express, which was carrying around 366 passengers, came off the tracks and overturned at around 4.50pm local time in Yilan County, in the island’s northeast, as it travelled between Shulin and Taitung along a coastal route popular with tourists, Efe reported.

With the support of around 120 military personnel, rescue teams managed to extract all of the passengers from the eight train cars, the firefighting service said.

All of the wounded, some of whom suffered grievous injuries, were brought to nearby hospitals for medical treatment.

The train derailed on a curve in the tracks and smashed into a concrete pillar.

Several of the wagons dropped off the raised track.

The Taiwanese government said it would open an investigation into the accident.

California wildfire death toll rises to 83

San Francisco, Nov 22: The death toll from a wildfire in northern California has increased to 83, authorities said.

The number of missing in what is known as “Camp Fire” dropped to 563, 136 fewer than the number counted on Tuesday and almost half the figure posted earlier this week, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said on Wednesdsay.

Firefighters have controlled 85 per cent of the fire, which has burned 62,052 hectares and is the most catastrophic in terms of fatalities in the history of the state, reports Efe news.

The fire broke out on November 8 and in a few hours destroyed the town of Paradise, which had a population of 26,000.

The flames destroyed around 13,500 households and about 500 shops, and still threaten another 5,100 buildings.

President Donald Trump, who visited the affected area last week, urged Congress on Tuesday to take measures that “improve forest management and help prevent wildfires”, which, according to the President, “can stop the devastation constantly going on in California”.

Cyclone Gaja: Death toll in Tamil Nadu reaches to 33

Chennai, Nov 17: The death toll due to cyclonic storm Gaja, which hit coastal districts of Tamil Nadu, has reached to 33, Chief Minister K. Palaniswami said on Saturday.

Addressing media at Salem, Palaniswami stated that 20 men, 11 women, and 2 children died due to the cyclone that crossed the Tamil Nadu coast between Nagapattinam and Vedaranyam districts between 12.30 a.m. and 2.30 a.m. on Friday.

The cyclone left a trail of destruction in Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, Cuddalore, Pudukkottai and Ramanathapuram districts.

Due to the cyclone, 70 livestock and several goats, poultry and deer have also died.

Some 127,000 trees were uprooted by the strong cyclonic winds that touched a maximum speed of about 120 kmph, the Chief Minister added.

The state government is distributing water, milk and food to the people affected by the calamity.

About 177,500 people are staying in 351 relief camps in the cyclone-affected areas.

According to the Chief Minister, about 30,000 electricity poles were broken, and 105 power sub-stations affected.

About 10,000 personnel have deployed in the cyclone-affected coastal districts to repair the installations.